Transparency.



No. 873,020. PATENTED DEG. 10, 1907.

P.'E. COLLINS.

TRANSPARENGY.

APPLIOATION FILED DEO. 7. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 873,020. PATENTED DEC. 10, 1907.

P. E. COLLINS. Y

TRANSPARENCY.

APPLIOATION FILED 1320.7. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MLK/Mm g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL E. COLLINS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO ELECTRIC NOVELTY MACHINE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A

CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

TBANSPARENCY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1907.

Application filed Decembomx. 1904. Serial No. 235.896.

To all whom it may concern: A

Be it known that I, PAUL E. COLLINS, a citizen of the United States, residing in Boston, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Transparencies, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representin like parts.

The present invention re ates to a transparency or illuminated picture, the purpose of the invention bei to obtain a novel illuminated effect in w 'ch rays of light diverge and converge, after the manner of northern lights, it being practicable, moreover, to obtain certain colored effects at the same time. This is accomplishedV by interposing'between the translucent portion and an illuminating element behind it, a member .which has parallel trans arent portions, be-

tween which the light 1s obscured by light interfering portions or partially obscured, and causin said member to move from a position in wlgiich'the lines are in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the translucent portion to a position in which the lines are in a plane at an'angle theretp.

In carrying out the invention, the transparency is illuminated from behind by means of illuminating elements, such as incandescent electric lamps, the globes of which may be striped with coloring matter arallel to their filaments, thereby constitutlng the inposed members with the ,parallel transparent portions. These lamps are then caused to rock` back and forth on pivots from a position substantially parallel to the face of the transparency to a position at an angle thereto, so that the rays of light will spread radially and then converge, t us giving the effect of northern lights. At the same' time, the lights may be controlled b switches, so that the ra s will appear and isappear, and lamps of different colors may be differently controlled so that a pleasi effect can be obtained. The lamps may a so' be arranged radially, although such construction is not essential,

.In the construction chosen to illustrate the invention, a series of lamps are shown as pivoted along the tially circular mem er so as to extend radially therefrom and normally stand paral eriphery of a substan-v 4 lel to the plane of a suitable transparency which may represent any desired design.

The stems upon which the lamps are pivoted are under the .control of ,a rotatable cam against the cam surface of which the lamps are held by springs so that, as the cam revolves, the lamps will rock on their pivots back and forth so as alternately to stand parallel to the lane of the transparency, and at an ange thereto. If, therefore, the lobes-of the lamps are colored in lines aralel to their axes, so thatthe light there om will appear through the transparency -as longitudinal rays, these rays will spread apart and converge as the lamps move away from and towards the surface of the transparency, the effect being substantially the same as that of the play of northe'rn lights. The effect may further be varied by controlling the current through the several lamps so that they will be alter- 4nately lighted and extinguished, and a switch to control the electric circuits may be provided, the switch, preferably, having a series of separate contacts and brushes to control separate lamps having different coloredglobes; In order to prevent larcing at the contacts, the stationary contact members of the switch, which are shown as arranged in concentric circles, are undercut at the ends where thebrushes ass ofl" the contacts, so that the said bruslies will quickly snap from the contacts to an insulated base, thereby breaking the circuit so rapidly and vwith such a large gap that any arc which follows will be ruptured. The cam which controls the movement of the lamps and the contact carrying member of the switch may be operated by al motor common to both, the construction, therefore, being simple and inexpensive.

Figure 1 is a front view of the apparatus with` a portion of the transparency broken away to show the illuminating elements and the switch behind Fig. 2 is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the device Fig. 3 'is a lan view of the switch on the same scale as ig. 2; and-Fig. 4 is a perspective view, showlng a modification.

The transparency a, which may be of any suitable or usual type, such, for example, as a painting on glass, is supported in the l'ront 'of a casing a which contains the illuminating elements, herein shownas 'a series of radially ,arranged .incandescent electric lamps l b which vare shown as pivotally supported at lamps b will move back and forth on their pivots from a position parallel tothe trans-v parency a to a position at an angle thereto, as indicated in Fig. 2, and if the obes of the said lamps are obscuredor partia ly obscured by light interfering portions parallel to their axes, so asto constitute the interposed members between the light and the transparency, p

the rays of light shed on the transparency will converge and divergeduring the movement of the lam s on their pivots. e in shown, the g obes of the lamps b are rovvided with opaqe or Senn-opaque lines W 'ch may be vof coloring matter, if desired, and the several lampsmay be farranged in sets havingy different colors, in order to vary the effect. In the construction shown, the cam member c is provided with ahub c3 which is mounted on the stem b* and provided withv a sprocketc5 which is driven by a chain'dl from a' suitable motor C, and the same -hub may be utilized to carry a sprocket c7 connected by-` a chain d'wit'h a sprocket' on a switch -carrying member e.

' It is obviously not essential' that the inter? posed members, (in this case the lamp globes) should be arranged on the arc of a, circle, or that the operating cam should have a rotary movement. In Fig. .4, for example, a construction is shown in which the members arc arranged in a straight line and pivotally suported on a-rod bzofthe cam surfaces c2 bemg carried on any endless chain c which is the equivalent of the cam diskc, and which may be driven in any suitable or usual'l wa-y. The .lamps b are heldagainst the cam surfaces by springs b, as in the construction previously described.

As herein shown, the switch carrying member e, driven as above described, by the sprocket c7 and chain d, is mounted on a spindle secured between a bracket f, and a contact carrying plate g secured to the back of the casin a2, the said contact carrying member having a plurality of lines of contact members h, h? and h3, which may be of varying lengths, according to .the eii'ects which are to be obtained. These contact members are arranged in concentric circles, and the switch carrying member e is providedwithan arm e2 having three spring contact members e3, e4 and e5. arranged to engage respectively with the -stationary contact members above described, thel said stationary contact members in turn being connected with rings g2, at the back of the member g, which rings are res ectively connected with rings 117, as by con uctors t, the rings bl being each electrically connected with part of the lamps b through the springs b6 which formart of one sideof the circuit. The circuit t ough the lamps starting from the source B, herein shown asa socket plug, is through the conductor 1 tothe spindle b4 which is in electrical contact with one terminal of each lamp, the other terminal of each lamp being in electrical contact with its spring b so that a lamp will be lighted when l', l I

e proper sprlng is in contact with one of the members h, 71,2-, h3, all of the said members being connected with the other side of the circuit through the conductor 2.

In order to prevent areing as the circuit is broken, the members h, '71.2, ha are undercut at the ends Where the, spring passes oil the same, as best shown in Fig. 2, the base g upon whichl the said contacts are mounted being of insulating material, so that the two contacts are rapidly separated a material distance each time the circuit is broken.

What I claim is:

1. In a transparency, the combination with a translucent design portion; of an illuminating element having opaque portions between said design portion and the luminant movable from a position parallel to 'the -plane of the said-translucent portion to -a portion a't an angle thereto; and continuously operating means for producing such movement of said element.

2. In a ltrans arency, a translucent portion; a series ofi luminating elements having opaque portions' between said translucent -portion and the luminant pivotally supported behind said translucent-portion; and a movable member for moving said elements 'back and forth between positions in which they are respectively substantially arallel to the plane of the translucent portion and at an angle thereto.

3. The combination with a translucent design, of electric lam s provided with globes having stripes of? opaqueser semi.- opaque coloring matter in line'with the iilaments; and continuously operating means for causing said lamps to travel back and forth between a positlonvparallel to the planel between the with a translucent design; of a plurality of electric lamps behind said design, said lamps being provided with globes having light interfering portions; a mechanically operated device for producing a bodily movement of said'lamps back and forth between a position substantially parallel with the plane of the translucent deslgn at a position at an angle thereto; a traveling switch member to* control the circuits of said lamps; and comnion operating mechanism whereby said Inechanically operated device and said switch memberare caused to operate, substantially as described.

In testimony-whereofI I have signed my 15 name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PAUL E. COLLINS.

Witnesses:

HENRY J. LIVERMORE, JAS. J. MALoNEY. 

